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Strike A Pose

Written by Jeffery Taylor

You're on the dance floor and you feel the bass vibrations become part of you as they pass through you. The floor undulates from the stomping feet. You feel as though you are the music, not just dancing to its rhythms. You are acutely aware of your breath. You breathe deeper than you normally breathe. You feel connected to everyone and everything around you, as though you were all one.

The Sanskrit word for "yoga" means "to join"-the joining of our individual consciousness with that of the greater whole. On the dance floor, we really are all connected. That realization lies at the core of yoga. The dance floor is an ideal place for experiencing this-until you've been dancing for so long that your body rebels. Your lower back is sore. Your legs feel like they're going to give out under you.

That's when the practice of yoga can actually come to the rescue. Take a few minutes to do these simple poses, on or off the dance floor. Focus on your breath as you hold each of the poses for a minute or two and breathe to the beats of the music. Let go of all thoughts (if you haven't already). Connecting to yourself on a deeper level can bring you to a higher ground-without party favors.

Om shanti!

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Bend Over (Forward Bend)

Stand with your back against a wall, and walk your feet about 2-3 feet away from it. Place the feet about 12 inches apart and parallel to each other.

Bend your knees slightly, and begin to fold forward from the waist, sliding your hands down the legs toward the ankles, coming into a forward bend with your butt against the wall.

Cross your arms at the elbows, and rest the hands in the creases of the arms. Let the head and neck relax completely. Draw your navel in and up, making room for the forward bend.

Take a deep inhale, directing the breath into the lower back and hips, and feel your back expand with the breath. As you exhale, sigh out through the mouth, letting go completely as you sink deeper into the pose. Take a few breaths here.

To take it a little further, shift your body weight forward so that your buttocks come away from the wall. Feel an even distribution of weight in the soles of the feet.

To get a deeper stretch in the hamstrings, straighten the legs and engage the quadriceps; shift your body weight forward even more so that you feel more weight toward the front of the feet.

To come out of the pose, bend the knees slightly, let the arms drop down, and roll up the spine one vertebra at a time, keeping the chin to the chest and letting the arms and shoulders hang the whole way up. The shoulders will naturally fall into place, and the head and the neck are the last to come up.

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Open Your Heart (Supported Backbend)

Stand about 2-3 feet away from and facing a wall. Place your feet about 12 inches apart and parallel to each other.

Bend your arms, and place the elbows against the wall directly in front of the shoulders. Position the forearms parallel to each other with the palms touching the wall and the middle fingers pointing up toward the ceiling.

Draw the shoulders back and down, creating space between the ears and the shoulders, and feel the shoulder blades drawing toward each other.

Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale, allow your heart to melt toward the wall. Keep the knees straight, reaching the heels of the feet to the floor. Let the front of your hips move slowly and gently toward the wall.

Shift your gaze upward, and feel your heart reaching toward the sky. Take a deep inhale, filling the chest with air, and as you exhale, feel yourself sink deeper into the pose.

To continue further, slide your hands up the wall, keeping the hands shoulder-width apart, and allow your chest to move closer to the wall. Either rest your forehead on the wall or rest the chin and the chest on the wall, looking up toward the ceiling. Draw the abdominals in, and keep them firm as you breathe a few deep breaths.

To come out of the pose, slide the hands down, press the elbows against the wall, and push away to return to a standing position.

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Get Twisted (Half Spinal Twist)

Sit on the edge of a speakerbox or a chair with your knees together and the insides of the thighs connected. Turning to the right, place your right hand palm down behind the butt with the fingers pointing away from the body. Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee.

As you inhale, lengthen the spine as you press your butt down into the seat, and reach the top of your head toward the sky. As you exhale, turn and twist to the right, looking over the right shoulder.

Add a gentle pressure with the left hand against the outside of the right knee, and press the right hand down into the seat. Inhale deeply again as you lengthen the spine, and turn and twist as you exhale.

Take a few deep breaths. On the last exhale, release and face forward. Repeat to the other side.

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Go Deeper (Hip Opener)

Sit on the edge of a speakerbox or a chair, and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Allow the right knee to open out to the side, and flex the right foot.

Place your hands on the right shin. As you inhale, lift the top of your head toward the sky, and press your butt down into the seat as you lengthen the spine. As you exhale, draw the belly in, and reach the heart forward as you extend over the right leg.

Tuck your chin to your chest, and lengthen the back of the neck as you reach the top of the head forward. Focus the breath into the right hip, and as you exhale, try to release any gripping or tensing.

To take it further, drape the arms in front of the right shin, and let them dangle toward the ground as you let the head hang completely. Draw the belly in a little more, and lengthen through the lower back.

Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale, allow yourself to sink deeper into the pose. Take a few deep breaths.

To come out of the pose, bring the hands back to the right shin, and on an inhale, sweep the torso back to an upright position. Switch legs and repeat on the other side.

In addition to being the Managing Editor of noiZe, Jeffery Taylor teaches yoga in New York City. Check out his website at www.yogue.com for more information.

Illustrations by Chris DeCarlo

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